FC Cincinnati defeated the New York Red Bulls II, 2-1, to move to 13-3-5 in 2018 United Soccer League play.
The Enquirer / Pat Brennan

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FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch celebrates the win against Chicago Fire FC during the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match between the Chicago Fire and FC Cincinnati on June 28, 2017 at Nippert Stadium.(Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar)Buy Photo

Alan Koch joined Futbol Club Cincinnati originally to be its director of scouting and analytics. Eighteen months later, he signed a deal that seals him as the club's first head coach in Major League Soccer.

Koch signed an extension through the 2020 season on Wednesday morning, meaning the first two years of FC Cincinnati in MLS. His previous contract ended after 2019. While it’s not news that the South African will coach the inaugural first-tier squad, the extension confirms the club’s faith in him and his technical staff moving forward.

“It’s nice. It gives myself, my staff and our entire group a lot more confidence in terms of the work we’ve been putting in,” he said after practice Wednesday. “It’s nice to be rewarded from that perspective, but it doesn’t change our day-to-day work. We’re absolutely focused on building this club and steering the club in the right direction. But it is nice to get it done and it is one less thing to worry about.”

This isn’t his first contract extension with Cincinnati.

Last August, he signed an extension during the improbable U.S. Open Cup campaign that saw FC Cincinnati upset MLS sides en route to a semifinals finish. That deal, Koch said, was irrespective of what league the team would be playing in during the 2019 season.

When the franchise won its expansion bid into MLS in May, the second-year coach said the remainder of the season would serve as a tryout for players to actively compete for a 2019 spot. Wednesday’s announcement cemented that future for the coach.

“Alan is a difference-maker and a winner, and we’re excited to know he’ll guide us into our future in Major League Soccer,” Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said in a press release. “Alan has embraced our ambition to win championships while also ingraining an inclusive and supportive culture in the locker room. With Alan leading us, we’re excited about our chances to win a USL Cup Championship this season as we prepare for our move to MLS.”

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FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch joins the crowd at Rhinegeist Brewery in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. FC Cincinnati was announced as the newest expansion team to join Major League Soccer.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

If the FC Cincinnati head coaching job still resembles a whirlwind, it’s from juggling a 2018 USL season and preparing for a 2019 MLS one.

“No, I didn’t have that ideal at all,” Koch said of joining Cincinnati be its first MLS coach. “I came to be part of something special. I watched from afar in the first season of this club and saw what the club was doing. You could tell the club’s grandeur in its plans. …How it’s evolved has been an exciting challenge. It’s something I’ve relished. Myself, my staff, the team work incredibly hard to push this group forward every single day.”

His staff will likely join Koch into MLS, too. Assistant coach Yoann Damet worked with Koch last year, while goalkeeper coach Jack Stern joined in the offseason. Strength and conditioning coach Austin Berry was Koch’s captain last season before joining the technical staff for 2018.

“We wouldn’t have the guys like Yoann here or Jack here if we didn’t plan on having them with us in the future. And Austin too, obviously. I got to know Austin as a player and now he works hard as a coach," Koch said. "I feel fortunate to have them around me every single day. They’re going to be with us moving forward, too. We’re all excited about the challenge ahead.”

Currently, FC Cincinnati leads the league in points (44) and has a nine-point lead over second-place Charleston Battery in the Eastern Conference.

Before Cincinnati, Koch coached the Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL Western Conference. Now a disbanded club, they were the second team for Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS. In 2016, he led Whitecaps 2 to the Western Conference final.

“I took a leap of faith to come join this club and things have transpired in a certain way,” he said. “We’re working incredibly hard to build something special. In a short amount of time, we all collectively had built something incredibly special. But we still have a lot of work ahead and we’re excited to embrace that challenge.”